There was no disciplinary action, no trade, no ultimatums, and no offense from the Sox left fielder, who went hitless in four trips while hearing a mixture of boos and cheers from the crowd of 37,225 during Boston's 10-3 loss to the Yankees, who drew to within a game of Boston with their eighth straight win, second in two days against the suddenly punchless Sox.
How much of a distraction has the Ramírez affair been?
"I don't know," said third baseman Mike Lowell. "That's a great question for Manny."
There also was a moment of apparent retaliation in the eighth inning, when Sox reliever Craig Hansen drilled Yankee cleanup man Alex Rodriguez in the left arm with a head-high fastball that came in at 97 or 98 miles an hour, depending on the radar gun. Rodriguez was hit a day after Kevin Youkilis narrowly missed being hit by a high-octane fastball from Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain, the fourth time in three games Youkilis has been at the plate when Chamberlain's aim has turned suspect.
Warnings were issued to both benches by umpire Derryl Cousins, just as they had been issued the night before, and Rodriguez, who was staggered by Hansen's pitch but took his base, was replaced in the bottom of the eighth by Wilson Betemit.
"I have no idea," Rodriguez, who was hit just above his left triceps, said when asked if Hansen's pitch came with a purpose. "I'm just happy we won the game."
Johnny Damon was less sanguine about the intent.
"You'd have to ask them, but we understand it's part of baseball," Damon said. "We understand Youk's not happy. It's part of the game. Both teams go out and we play hard, try to play the game the right way. Unfortunately, Youk's got a lot of pitches up and in on him and unfortunately Alex got hit."
